Know who could have saved the “At the Movies” franchise? Philip Roth. His acerbic takedowns would have filled a gap left empty since the death of Gene Siskel–and, come to think of it, there’s a slight physical resemblance as well. The only drawback? The show would have to limit its focus to adaptations of Roth’s own novels. From the AP (“Philip Roth has no love for movies of his books,” by Hillel Italie):

In a recent interview, Roth was asked what he thought of some of those adaptations, starting with “Elegy,” a reworking of his novel “The Dying Animal” that came out this year and attracted little attention, even though it starred Penelope Cruz.

“I think Penelope Cruz is very good. That’s what I think,” he says, declining further comment.

What about “The Human Stain,” starring Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins and released in 2003?

Lynn: Renowned author Paul Fleischman is a man on a mission. He wants teens to look beyond their own “internal movie,” beyond the dazzling technological changes in our world to the side effects and huge environmental problems we face. Using in-your-face, blunt language in Eyes Wide Open: Going Beyond the Environmental Headlines (2014), Fleischman sets about […]

Lynn: As an educator, a parent, and a grandparent, one of my goals has been to fan the flames of curiosity in kids. It’s a critical trait and one that often seems to get squashed somewhere along the K-12 march. I love books that encourage kids to ask questions. Marc Aronson’s books always seem to […]

Lynn and Cindy: While shapes are a common subject for picture books, it is still a pleasure to find new ones that are both fun and instructive for young readers. If it were left to us, we’d throw out all the boring textbooks for the primary grades and stock them with fabulous picture books. See—educational reform […]

Lynn: Renowned author Paul Fleischman is a man on a mission. He wants teens to look beyond their own “internal movie,” beyond the dazzling technological changes in our world to the side effects and huge environmental problems we face. Using in-your-face, blunt language in Eyes Wide Open: Going Beyond the Environmental Headlines (2014), Fleischman sets about […]

Lynn: As an educator, a parent, and a grandparent, one of my goals has been to fan the flames of curiosity in kids. It’s a critical trait and one that often seems to get squashed somewhere along the K-12 march. I love books that encourage kids to ask questions. Marc Aronson’s books always seem to […]

Lynn and Cindy: While shapes are a common subject for picture books, it is still a pleasure to find new ones that are both fun and instructive for young readers. If it were left to us, we’d throw out all the boring textbooks for the primary grades and stock them with fabulous picture books. See—educational reform […]